Prysmian Explores Recycled Jacketing Materials for Optical Fiber Cables

Sustainability and innovation remain at the forefront of everything we do at Prysmian. That's why we're constantly looking for new ways to deliver uncompromising quality, serve our customers, and continue our commitment to innovation and sustainability. 

Global plastic production currently exceeds 390 million tons per year, and polyethylene accounts for about 2% of that total. 

Manufacturing polyethylene contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and current recycling rates for plastic waste are low. At Prysmian, we see this as an opportunity to explore sustainable solutions. 

The Test: How Much PCR can be Blended Into Polyethylene Without Sacrificing Quality? 

We recently partnered with Virginia Tech's Department of Materials Science and Engineering to look closely at the polyethylene jackets on our optical fiber cables. Together, we tested not only our traditional cable jackets but also blends that included post-consumer recycled content (PCR). 

The study examined 11 grades of polyethylene with varying densities and mechanically recycled polyethylene content, including high-density polyethylene (HDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). 

We used several different testing approaches to evaluate long-term reliability, detect contaminants, and establish base properties and variability for each material. 

• Oxidative Induction Time (OIT) 
• Thermogravimetric Analysis 
• Tensile Testing 
• Melt Flow Index 
• Specific Gravity
• Environmental Stress 
• Crack Resistance 
• Courier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy 

The Findings: Up to 50% PCR Maintains Industry Standards 

Our study with Virginia Tech found that polyethylene blends with up to 50% PCR still passed highly rigorous industry standards. They also had properties similar to the benchmark jacketing compounds Prysmian already uses for optical fiber cabling solutions. 

Blending PCR with traditional polyethylene eliminated many of the issues usually associated with PCR materials. Small levels of impurities did not cause significant differences in the blend's final properties. 

The Results: A New Challenge for Prysmian R&D 

This study demonstrates the potential of using PCR in optical fiber cable jacketing, without compromising performance while reducing plastic waste and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Prysmian's Research & Development teams are already looking at ways to incorporate these and other innovative materials into our cabling solutions. 

Learn more about how Prysmian is powering a smarter, more sustainable future at: https://na.prysmian.com/sustainability.